Point Blank
by Mocha MintCocoa
Summary: Arthur's world was only black and white until he met his long-live partner, Alfred. When suddenly friends become foes and the harsh reality is revealed, Arthur just have to choose to side for his life or his beloved's. -AU, USUK
1. 1,1: imperishable night

**A/N:** Thank you to all of you who had voted! Yes, Point Blank is chosen to be the next story I'm going to write. It's like... an ultimate win from PCB. XD

So... I ended up rewriting this around three times, that's why this is so late although I've been writing for this around March. OTL After discussing with a RL friend, we plotted more about their roles in the team and this turns out to be more of action-organisation AU rather than sniper AU, because not all of them snipe. Hope this change will be fine! :D This series is divided into three acts, for each act consists of around six super long chapters (possibly). :3

The first footnote at the end of the fic is a track that inspires and puts me to the mood for the chapter. Check on them if you like! (Oh, direct link is available on my tumblr post if you follow it, flowing-rein [tumblr] com! :3)

Please, enjoy this new serial! :)

(Most of these are) beta'ed by Waytomuchadoaboutnothing/Rose. Don't forget to give some of your love towards her~!

Hetalia belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz.

* * *

_**Act One:  
Lift.**_

* * *

_Arthur didn't know why, but he thought back then it must be destiny that brought him and his husband together when the __handsome, loud American blonde man approached his table and asked whether the seat was not occupied._

_He was thinking about FireLily, and about his current life, at that time. He thought about the first time he joined FireLily, vowing to lay down his life for the sake of the organisation and his will to forever be loyal, to shoot for FireLily and only for it. He thought about the first time he met the main team; his team, that he now had considered his own family, no matter how annoying they were. He thought about the first time he tried his Mark II Sten to shoot a living being, a guard of CrossRose—the cry that half-emerged from his throat as the bullet pierced his skull and the dull thud as he hit the ground beneath him—it turned out to be an imperishable guilt that he couldn't get out of his mind, as if it was emblazoned onto his very cranium— _

"_Hi! 'scuse me, is this seat empty?"_

_Arthur was jolted from his train of thoughts by a distinctly American voice, but when he was about to open his lips to voice his protest, a red tray had been set down on his table, while the stranger had already comfortably seated himself on the cheap plastic chair across him. The man sipped his coffee casually when he noticed Arthur staring, and he gave the British man a wide, shiny smile._

_Damn, did he just blush?_

"_Sorry, but the shop is full. Couldn't find any empty seats, yours is the only one." He explained as he bit into the greasy, oil-stained bacon and cheese hamburger (Arthur didn't even know that the shop sold those so-called foods), and Arthur cringed at the way he ate; he gobbled the burger down in less than a minute like a hungry dog. He looked outside the window, and unsurprisingly, it was raining outside, drops of water falling from the sky like small needles piercing the ground. People started to look for shelter, and some of them had even swarmed the small coffee shop Arthur was sitting in._

"_It's alright. I was going to go, after all," Arthur said as he pushed his empty cup of afternoon tea away, standing up and dug into his pocket for money._

_But as soon as he got to his feet, the stranger quickly said, "Wait, you're not gonna get going like that, are you? It's freakin' pouring outside!" Arthur could hear a bit of frustration and... was that disappointment in his tone when he said that? "Come on, stay for a bit and keep me company. My name's Alfred, by the way. Alfred F. Jones!" the stranger—Alfred, gave Arthur his best smile once more._

_Arthur could feel himself heating up. Oh, bugger, why now? Curse his luck! Why a handsome stranger had to greet him at the time when he just wanted to be alone? But seeing the bright expression Alfred gave him, Arthur could not even say no to him; only someone stupid would do that._

_He sat back down and ended up ordering two more cups of English Afternoon tea and five scones, having a long conversation, and somehow (though he was still not sure how he came to acquire it) with a phone number._

_A month later, he found himself in a relationship with the handsome financial counsellor Alfred F. Jones, and six months after that, a ring encircled each of their left ring finger, a symbol and promise of long-life loyalty, even though they were not officially married. The moments he spent together with Alfred seemed to be the happiest in his life, and for once, Arthur wished that he hadn't had been dragged into all this mess and just wanted to live a happy, peaceful life with his beloved._

_But sometimes, everything just didn't go as planned, did it? _

* * *

Point Blank

.

imperishable guilt

* * *

The night was still early; the clock barely reached eleven, but Arthur felt like felt like he had been up for the rest of the night. He tapped his earpiece gently to activate the microphone attached to it and spoke. "Prussia, do you copy?"

"_Whaaaat? I can't hear you down here!_" The sounds of gunshots filled Arthur's eardrums and screams of agony deafened his auditory system, followed by a mad cackle Arthur recognised so good; the team's crazy front shooter's—Gilbert, code name Prussia. That man was truly a horror with his unbeatable shooting accuracy and his HK21 machine gun he named 'Devil Gilbird' (well, Arthur counted that as crazy. Who the heck would name his own gun with his pet bird's name?). "_Kesesese! This is just the beginning of the party~!_"

"Don't act so reckless! Tonight is just a beginning attack! Remember that we're in the enemy's nest, so keep your eyes open!" Arthur scolded him, which was easily ignored as Gilbert was having his own fun down there. Arthur put his Sten down beside him as he slumped onto the dirtied floor and rested his back on one of the crumbled pillars, deciding to take a break from all the shootings and enemy-smacking. The mission was starting to get on his nerves; being the leader of the team was never as good as the other positions.

He sighed tiredly before speaking on the microphone again. "Spain, report."

"_There's nothing suspicious until now, at least,_" the crisp voice of their team strategist—Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, code name Spain—was heard between the statics. "_All movements are focused on the first and second floor, and Prussia sure can handle them alone. The three top floors are clear._"

"Good. When can we retreat?"

"_Estimated six more minutes_," Antonio's voice hesitated for a while. "_Wait, England, forty two degrees to your left—_"

A single gunshot and a _clang!_ cut Antonio's sentence, then following another muted explosion were rustles and a dull _thump_; a tell-tale sound of a dead body hitting the ground. Arthur tensed when he heard footsteps and jumped from behind the pillar, lifting his Sten into firing position. "Who's there?"

"Tsk, getting reckless yourself now, Leader?"

"...Hungary?" Arthur lowered his gun and found his gaze collided with the back-up shooter and the only woman in the team, Elizabeta Héderváry's. She was a great shooter, second to Gilbert, and with the company of her two Danuvia revolvers, she was respected by most of the members—Arthur included—because of her bravery and boldness even out of the field.

"_Uh... I was just about to alert you about that. Sorry, England,_" Antonio said sheepishly.

"Thank god you're alright. If you're dead, I'm going to quit the team," Elizabeta huffed in irritation as she cocked her Danuvia. "I'm not working in the same team with Prussia without you."

"_Oooh, you're so mean, Madame Hungary,_" the voice of their sniper— that sorry excuse for French filth Francis Bonnefoy, code name France—was heard from the earpiece. "_He'll be hurt if he hear that~"_

"Tch, frog, just shut up and do your job well," Arthur grumbled and adjusted his suit, wiping off all the sweats that started to accumulate on his forehead. Despite the snow falling outside, the inside of the building felt as hot as hell.

"_I __**am**__ doing my job well, _mon cher_. If I was not, you would have been stabbed in your forehead by now,_" Francis said, as the clicks and clacks of him reloading his PGM 338 were heard over. "_Well, you can thank Hungary for shooting the blade, though._" Another muted explosion. "_Wait a minute, I think I saw a bunch of rats coming. Spain...?_"

"_..._mierda_,_" Antonio breathed out. "_That can't be. There must be at least fifty more coming this way._"

"Would that freaky bastard be able to handle them all...?" Elizabeta asked, redoing her ponytail. "I only had a few more spare bullets with me."

"I don't have even more than enough to shoot five times in my possession now," Arthur clarified. He didn't bring any spare bullets with him as he really didn't plan to shoot anybody. Arthur usually just used his submachine gun to smack the guarding rats unconscious or—if he really needed to—to occasionally shoot armed people who didn't go down easily after being smacked by a 3 kilogram gun.

"_I'll help, too. _Merde, _that one missed,_" Francis cursed under his breath. "_Just get over there and help, Hungary. I think that fool had turned off his earphone and microphone. Tsk._"

"Gotcha." Elizabeta nodded to Arthur and jumped two stories down the stairs while Arthur watched her with fear filled eyes. What would he say to Roderich, her husband, if she went home with somehow a broken arm or leg?

When Elizabeta vanished from his vision, Arthur looked warily. The surrounding fell completely silent, and it was not a good silence. "Well, she's gone now. Is that all, Spain?"

"_I think so. They'll be finished in just a few minutes, maybe you should come down to the meeting point—"_

"...wait. Be quiet." Arthur suddenly heard footsteps from afar; they were quiet, and Arthur could not recognise them. He ducked himself behind the pillar and listened closely. The steps sounded so... clumsy and nervous, most probably because this person didn't have a gun in their possession, they had run out of bullets, or this was a trap. Arthur had nearly died from the same tactic just three months ago, and had been reprimanded for his carelessness by Alfred soon after; he never tried it again.

(Of course, he had lied about it to Alfred, saying that he was shot by an unknown intruder on his way home, possibly a CrossRose's member. There was no way he could tell what his real job was!)

Ah... Thinking about Alfred really made Arthur want to finish this bloody mission and just went home already, curled in his husband's warm embrace as they watched the comedy show Alfred loved very much, each with a cup of hot chocolate in their hands. It would be a great evening to pass with.

"Inglaterra._..?_"

"I'll call you back later," Arthur whispered, not caring what the other party was saying and abruptly ending the connections. Arthur cocked his blood-sullied Sten silently, trying not to draw suspicion from the unknown person. Thankfully, the commotion below and the sound of machine gun still running in the background seemed to muffle the click.

_Three_. He counted inside his head, listening closely to the stranger's steps to determine the right time to get out and strike whoever it was on head with his gun. He didn't want to waste more bullets as he only had a few more to spare.

_Two._ Arthur could feel the blood pounding in his ears as the steps got closer and the person clicked the safety on his gun free. The gunshots in the background didn't even help to calm his beating heart.

_One!_

Arthur whipped out from his hiding place and—with all the force he had—swung the gun on his hands and aimed the barrel of his gun to hit the person. Unfortunately, it seemed that it only grazed the head a bit, producing a dull _thud_ sound along with a groan of pain from what was definitely a man. In the darkness, Arthur could only saw his posture; only a good inch or two shorter than him, and the gun he brought was put on ready to fire position. He seemed to recover quickly, as two seconds later, Arthur had to brace and crawl away like a scared mouse when the gun fired mercilessly at him, some grazing his limbs.

He cursed, hiding behind a pillar once more, his gun lying beside him. Damn, he was definitely not one of the guards; Arthur could see the gun possessed by the man was definitely a submachine type just like his. And a big one, too. Arthur cursed once more when the man started firing on the pillar he was hiding behind as he walked closer, and Arthur decided to take the risk and try shooting from point blank range. Clicking his rifle's safety off, Arthur positioned the barrel just beside the pillar and fired once.

The rumblings ceased, leaving silence in its wake and Arthur could only hear his own laboured breathing, not daring to peek around the pillar in case his shot had missed the target entirely. He definitely wouldn't want his corpse to come home with a bullet wound in his forehead; what would Alfred say?"

"_Fratello_!" Suddenly a shrill cry was heard behind, and Arthur resisted the urge to just pick up his gun and fled from the scene while he could. It seemed that this 'fratello' was the shooter Arthur encountered earlier, as he was now speaking in low and rapid manner, and Arthur couldn't decipher what he was talking about—a foreign, Southern European language, Italian perhaps?—he was scolding the other person, whom Arthur assumed was man as well (despite his small build, oh... Even Arthur was sure that Elizabeta was taller than them both) and he was bare handed; either that he was really unarmed or his gun was stored somewhere else inside his clothes. Arthur didn't want to take a risk.

He had slim chance of survival with the condition he was now on. Two enemies, one possibly a main member, and Arthur had only three more bullets to waste. If he was lucky, he could inflict some minor damage to both of them, enough to distract them for a while, flee outside and retreat. The mission should end by now, after all.

However, he wasn't even sure he could aim and shoot correctly without getting a good look at the target. Sure, he was confident of his own ability, but without getting the right angle, he might kill one. Or even both. And although they were enemies, the thought of killing would never strike Arthur even in the deadliest moment.

So he made a decision.

He sprang up from his position and fired once, narrowing his eyes to get a better view at the darkened room and aimed the bullet to pass between the two men. "Dammit!" the man Arthur encountered earlier cursed and shoved the other further from him. "Go away, Feli!" he ordered, gripping his submachine gun tightly. "Get back to that potato muncher and tell him I order him to take you somewhere safe!"

"I-I'm not leaving you alone!" the other shouted, his voice filled with terror. For a moment Arthur could see a dangerous glint in his dark eyes, and a few seconds later Arthur heard the click of a gun.

Oh, shit.

Arthur took that moment to fire another shot; this one aiming for the taller man's leg, who tumbled to the ground as he cried out in pain, the submachine gun clattered noisily across the floor and he clamped for his injured leg. In the darkness, Arthur could see the other man tossed his gun— or whatever it is—and approached the injured man, letting out a sob.

In the back, the rumblings of machine gun had stopped, signalling that the mess below had been cleared; it was the end of their mission night. "I'll spare the life of one of you," Arthur hissed, low and venomous. "So the other better be off right now or I'll shoot you both."

"Feli, I said _GO_!" the front shooter pushed weakly on the other man and glared at Arthur hatefully at the same time. "Leave him alone. You can kill me instead, bastard!"

"_Fratello_, no!" the other man still sobbed, refusing to let go of the front shooter's arm. "I'm... I'm not leaving you alone! If you die, I'll die, too!"

Arthur cocked his gun, a silent threat for the other to retreat, instead only having bullets left enough to kill one person. "Go away now."

"Feli. _**Lasciare**_." The tone was harsh and cold and final, and reluctantly, the other man let go and scrawled away after throwing glance on Arthur. After watching him disappear from sight, the shooter turned to face Arthur, once again a hateful glare plastered on his face. "Come on. You want my life, you damned FireLily? Go on, shoot me," he said.

Arthur walked towards the injured man and kneeled beside him. "You know, why I released your mate, hmm?" he prodded and kicked the submachine gun away, just to be on the safe side. Who knows that the man just faked to have been shot? "It's because you're a main member. He's probably just an underling of yours, and I won't even break a sweat to kill him. I'm running out of bullet anyway."

"So what do you want, shitface?" he spat angrily, and Arthur's eyes narrowed in disapproval. He stood up and put the sole of one of his boots onto the other's chest.

"Keep your mouth shut if you want to live, wanker," he spat. "What I want," he hissed as he pulled the man's collar up and hit him on the back of his neck before whipping out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and tied it around mouth, "is information."

The man instantly went limp in Arthur's arms and with more effort needed, Arthur held him on one shoulder, his gun shouldered on the other, his free hand clutching the machine gun the other owned. Damn, the man was heavy. Arthur forced himself to go outside to the meeting point, where the rest of the team had gathered already.

"_Mon ami, Angleterre_! Oh, I thought you died already—" Francis' voice called for the blonde man before his eyes widened at what Arthur was holding with him. "_Mon dieu_, don't tell me—"

"Idiot, of course not. Help me carry him. He's damn heavy," Arthur grunted and half-tossed the body towards Francis, who shrieked in horror and pushed Antonio forward, who in turn caught the unconscious man with ease.

"Whoa, _mi amigo_, I'm surprised you're not dead already," Antonio raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Arthur, who was giving the submachine gun to Gilbert to carry. "He's a main member. Look," the Spanish man showed the team the scarlet rose pinned and chained on his shirt collar.

"This gun's good," Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "A Spectre M4... With a .40 S&W cartridge?" he turned to face Arthur. "Why aren't you dead already?"

Arthur turned to glare at him. How rude! "Of course not, wanker. Shut up," he mumbled, turning to check on the rest of the team. Antonio, Francis, Elizabeta, Gilbert, and one more— "Wait... Where _is_ Russia?"

"He went home early," Antonio was the one who answered. "Said he had urgent matters to attend to at home. He's the informant, he can handle himself well enough," the Spanish man shrugged in a nonchalant way, adjusting the unconscious man's body whom he held bridal-style in his arms. "Come on, let's get back. After we put him on the holding cell, we can all go home and let the guards keep an eye of the prisoner."

.

"Ouch, _dammit_..."

"Stop whining, Arthur. It's your fault for being so careless," Elizabeta said, as her hands dabbed alcohol-soaked cotton on a graze wound on Arthur's left leg. "Please take care of yourself better now. I hate to say this again, but I'm really going to quit if you die, Arthur."

Half an hour hadn't passed since they arrived at the HQ and dumped the unconscious body to the underground cell, guarded by two people.

"Get it over now and help me, dammit!" Gilbert complained, accidentally jabbing his own eye instead of the scratch beside it with the cotton ball. "Oooww! That _fucking __**hurts**__!_"

"...he's trying to ask for your help, 'Liza," Antonio said, amused, as he folded his suit and put it in the locker.

"Shut up," Elizabeta looked over her shoulder, finally finished bandaging Arthur's wound. "You destroyed the night glasses, Gilbert. It's good enough that I haven't killed you right at the spot."

"It's not my fault! What the hell should I do if the enemy decided to shoot my eye? I better let the glasses—oww oww owwww!" Gilbert shrieked when the woman dabbed the cotton ball harsher. "Okay, okay! I'll behave!"

"Good," Elizabeta glared, continued tending Gilbert's injuries. Once finished, she let go of the older man, ignoring him grumbling and muttering names for her. She sat on one of the chairs and started cleaning her pistols.

"Well, we better go home now. It's getting late—" Francis said, but was cut by the loud noises coming from the underground cell. "What is that?" he quirked an eyebrow. "Is he awake?"

"Wow, that language. What a nice Italian. And also... so very _polite_," Antonio chuckled. "Well, it's up to you then, Arthur! We'll leave that to you!"

"What?" Arthur whipped around in anger, but the trio was already off. "Oh, bugger. Are you coming, Eliza?"

Elizabeta didn't even lift her face to look at Arthur. "He's all yours, Leader."

Arthur sighed tiredly. He scanned his palm on the reader and the door leading to the underground cell slid open. Arthur could hear the sounds clearer now, and it seemed that the hostage had talked in normal English. He spewed a ton of curses to the guards, and when Arthur arrived at the bottom, he blurted out.

"...you...! You're the one...!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. He got a really good vision, to have seen his face even beneath the dark glasses and the thick darkness back then. He excused the guards out before talking. "I see you have regained consciousness. Let me introduce myself; I am England, the team leader. State your name and position at the team, if you may."

"Are you taking me in for information? Let me tell you; you won't get anything by capturing me, you son of a bitch! My brother will soon seek for help, and you FireLily can rot in hell!"

"...too harsh, young lad," Arthur muttered dangerously under his breath. "Let me tell you, then; you won't get anything by keep refusing to cooperate. You better start talking soon – or maybe you prefer your brother seeing you only in flesh without soul?"

"Are you threating me, you bastard?"

The blonde glared at the brunette. "Look, I'm going to say this once more. It's better to start talking right now of I'll have to shoot you again," for emphasise, he lifted his Sten, which was still sullied with blood, "with this. And I'm not kidding, lad."

Arthur could see him starting to tremble at his threat. "...not going to talk," Arthur could hear him murmur, slightly cowering in fear in his cell now that he had been told of the consequences of his silence.

Despite being a shooter himself, Arthur honestly had vowed never to kill someone after the traumatic incident. Heck, he even didn't want to harm the enemies anymore, but work seemed to be so forceful. "Fine," he finally said, and he gulped silently when he saw the hostage flinched. "Get yourself prepared for the worst interrogation you might ever experience, lad. I've warned you, but you decide to play it hard." He finally stepped out from the underground and to the lobby, exhaust plastered all over his face.

Elizabeta looked at him. "I hope your interrogation went well, Arthur," Elizabeta said, but Arthur was sure that she knew the answer already, as the underground cell was hardly that soundproofed. It sounded like she was mocking him.

"That brat's attitude is horrible. And he refused to talk," Arthur grumbled. He would better not talk about it right now for the sake of his sanity. "Just get those three wankers over here tomorrow morning and let them interrogate him their way. I'm going home now." He went to his locker to pack up his gun and changed his blood-stained suit to the work suit he was wearing when he left his apartment this morning, grabbing the suitcase full of paperworks after he was done.

Elizabeta smirked knowingly. "Oh, Arthur. Can't wait to see your beloved husband, can you?" she giggled when Arthur turned slightly pink with that comment. "Never mind, have fun with your husband, dearie. Oh, and just take a day off tomorrow. Our mission tonight was a success anyway, and the Boss is satisfied."

"Whatever. Have a nice night, Elizabeta," Arthur murmured absent-mindedly before circling a scarf around his pale neck and stepped out of FireLily headquarters to go home, back to his and Alfred's warm, cosy little apartment.

* * *

* Track 1.1; _Imperishable Night ~ Eastern Night_, 8th Shrine Maiden Project's Title Screen. [youtube] /watch?v=3suCyu4JBcs . The overall tune suggested a lonely night, and the piano at the end of the loop feels like it's wrenching your heart. Worth hearing if you have trouble getting a sad atmosphere. :)

* **Sten **is the submachine gun that Himaruya drew with military Arthur. The model used in that picture is the Mark II, which weighs around 3 kilograms. Fairly light for a submachine gun and is manufactured in the United Kingdom in 1940, is not in service anymore. Rate of fire around 500 bullets per minute, uses 9mm calibre. Further information about the cartridge is in point four.

* **HK21** (short for Heckler & Koch, the manufacturer) is a light machine gun weighted around 8 kilograms. It was used for general purpose, namely armed forces. Manufactured in the West Germany in 1961 and I think it's still in service. Rate of fire is 800 bullets per minute.

* The pistol Elizabeta uses is **Danuvia VD-01**, a handgun manufactured in machine pistol, using a 9mm calibre. This kind of bullet can't kill a person in just one shot (except it is shot on head/heart), that's why she uses two of them. The gun is manufactured in Hungary in 1990. Oh yes, it's semi-automatic, too.

* **Spectre M4** is a submachine gun even lighter than Sten – less than 3 kilograms. Manufactured in Italy around 1984 and it stopped being produced around 2001. Its rate of fire reaches 850 bullets per minute. .40 S&W is one of cartridges that are compatible with the gun, a 10mm calibre. Doesn't have to be cocked before fired.

* Almost forgot this one! **PGM 338** is a sniper rifle manufactured in France, using a .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. With folding stock, it weighs around 7 kilograms and its muzzle velocity reaches 900m/s. Effective range ~1400m.

* In a shorter explanation, a **point blank range **is a term where shooting distance takes very closely to the target without actually doing contact shooting (where the barrel is placed directly on the target). The range varies depending on what firearm used, but commonly it's about less than 2 metres. This kind of shot leaves a burn mark around shot area that doesn't burn worse than it should be if it is contact shooting.

* **FireLily** and **CrossRose** are the names of the organisation and Arthur worked for FireLily. Please don't tell me the names are horrible; I know they are, because I'm not creative. :/ These organisations will be explained in more details in later chapters.


	2. 1,2: heartfelt fancy

**A/N:** I forgot to mention this last chapter! So, the present timeline of PB is set a year after Alfred and Arthur's meeting – the italic paragraphs on the beginning, remember? They got 'married' (or rather, exchanged rings) six months after they met, thus making present timeline about their six-month anniversary.

Updating to distract myself from (painful) reality.

...so, I think the lack of hits (and also, reviews) last chapter, it's because I didn't make a good job out of it... OTL To think that I'm placing my highest hope and effort on this series (even a hundred reviews in ten chapters seems impossible now haha)... *sniffs* Well, I guess I have to try harder on this chapter. I hope you like the USUK moments here! :)

Hetalia belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz.

* * *

Point Blank

.

heartfelt fancy

* * *

The city's clock just chimed half past eleven when Arthur reached the apartment complex, wet and cold from the snow and tired physically and mentally from the earlier ordeal. He rubbed his reddening nose and blew towards his hands, hoping that they could warm up a bit and fished out his keys, unlocking the door.

The apartment was dark and quiet, and Arthur could only assume that whether Alfred had gone to bed or hadn't gone home yet. He did tell him this morning that he was going home late, though... He sneezed once before removing his shoes at the doorstep and put them on the rack. Arthur stepped into the living room and turned on the lamps, shrugging his soaked coat and hung in on the coat rack, rubbing his nose once more. Damn the cold. He had better made himself a nice, hot cup of Earl Grey before joining Alfred in bed.

"Arthur? Is that you?"

Arthur's heart nearly jumped out in surprise. "Alfred?" he called out, seeing his husband coming out from their bedroom without his usual glasses perched on his nose and rubbing his eyes.

"Nah," Alfred murmured sleepily and approached Arthur, greeting him with a light peck on reddened lips. "You said you'll be home late, but I didn't expect it'd be this late. Look, your tea's gone cold, babe."

Arthur glanced at the coffee table. Sure, there laid his favourite teapot and cup, filled with the brownish liquid to the brim and the metal spoon sat nicely on the saucer, with two cubes of sugar; just like how he preferred his tea. He could feel his heart warmed. "You don't have to, Alfred."

"You always brush your teeth with tea before you go to bed, darling," Alfred, now fully awake, stroke Arthur's damp locks and gave the older man a smile. "Besides, I don't like sleeping in the bed when it's not with you."

"Oh, you romantic fool," Arthur could feel his heart melted and he leaned up to kiss his husband on lips, his freezing hand grasped Alfred's hair in attempt to deepen the kiss. Alfred made a satisfied sound before prodding Arthur's mouth open with his tongue, coaxing him into a deeper kiss until they parted in the need for air, a string of saliva connecting their lips before disappeared.

Looking at Alfred's deep, baby blue eyes only made Arthur wanted to kiss him again and again, but after Alfred tried to suppress a yawn, he chuckled and led his husband towards the bedroom. "Let's just leave it be and go to bed," he said, half-dragging Alfred towards the bedroom.

"But we're not done yeeet," Alfred trailed, struggling weakly against Arthur's hold and—when he was freed—lifted the smaller and spun him around, peppering him with butterfly kisses all over his face, "besides, you'll be gone next morning for work..."

"I've got a day off tomorrow, love," Arthur laughed. "Hey, stop spinning around, I'm getting dizzy! B-besides," he gasped a few times to calm himself down, "I miss you. We're having too much work lately, don't you think so?"

Alfred's eyes immediately brightened. "A day off? Awesome!" he put Arthur down, but instead, he swooped Arthur's legs up and carried him in his hands to the bedroom, bridal style. "I'll call off later early in the morning so I could accompany you all day long!"

"Alfred!" Arthur's cheeks darkened with pretty scarlet as he struggled weakly against his husband's hold, but didn't dare moving too much in case Alfred couldn't hold him long and dropped him. It was not very exciting to have a back pain all day tomorrow—or seeing that the clock had struck twelve; today. "Be careful! If you drop me I'll never forgive you!"

The younger's eyes shone with good humour and he grinned widely in a comforting manner that always sent Arthur's mind flying high. "Don't worry, baby, I'll take good care of you tonight," he said, kicking open the door towards their bedroom and kicked it close before tossing Arthur to the bed, joining him shortly.

"Will you allow me bath first before we go to bed, at least? I think I stink." _From sweat and blood_, Arthur added silently.

"We'll take one together in the morning," Alfred grinned and pulled the blanket over them before pulling Arthur close to himself and cuddled him. He gave Arthur a kiss on forehead and whispered, "Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night," Arthur smiled softly, trying hard to go to sleep, but found himself unable to do so even in the warmth of Alfred's hold. He just kept thinking about the prisoner they were keeping at the underground cell in FireLily HQ; he now felt a tiny bit of guilt starting to creep in his mind.

Arthur wasn't heartless—sure, he was the one who caught him and forced him into submission—but the thought of someone dying in their underground prison was never that good. And also, he had given his indirect permission to Elizabeta to actually allow _them_ to interrogate the prisoner—

He shuddered and finally forced himself to go to sleep, chills running all over his body despite Alfred's warm body pressed close to him.

.

Arthur woke up the next morning from the scent of butter wafting through the air. He sat on the bed and yawned, glancing to his side only to find it empty. He sluggishly climbed out of the bed and slipped into his slippers before heading towards the kitchen. Alfred, still bare-chested like he was the night before with only an apron for protection, now was toasting bread slices smothered in butter on the frying pan. He looked back when he felt Arthur entering the dining area and gave a cheery 'Good morning!'.

The smaller blonde smiled and sat on the counter stool that faced the kitchen, glancing at the complete set of tea and coffee laid ready on the counter. "Looks good," he purred, making himself a cup of Earl Grey and Alfred a cup of coffee (Arthur had long learnt how _not_ to ruin Alfred's morning coffee that could make his husband's mood ruined for the rest of the day) and watched Alfred flipping a bread directly from the pan towards a plate smoothly.

"Of course it is!" Alfred turned off the stove and discarded the apron before joining Arthur at the counter, both hands holding plates with a stack of butter-toasted bread. "Because it's a day only for us!" He took a bottle of maple syrup from the refrigerator—which Alfred took immediate liking as soon as his brother Matthew first introduced him to the sweet brownish liquid—and lathered his toast stack with it. Arthur took a bite on a slice, cringing at the salty taste. He fished the strawberry jam from the end of the counter and smothered his toast with it.

"We need more syrup," Alfred said as he munched on his toast noisily, a habit which Arthur could never get rid of. "Should we head to Haven after breakfast for some groceries?"

"I think we have _more_ than enough already for you," Arthur frowned, although it was quickly replaced by defeated expression seeing the face Alfred was giving him. "Oh, fine, poppet, since you're so demanding."

Alfred just gave him a short laugh, finishing his toast. "You always know me the best, honey," he gave Arthur a sweet, buttery peck on the cheek and fled to the bathroom before Arthur could even complain.

The shorter blonde grumbled as he shoved the last piece of his toast down and washed it with the remains of his tea before joining Alfred in a warm bath. They took one together, savouring each other's bodies long enough to make their fingers wrinkle before heading out to Haven together.

What they called 'Haven' was actually a neutral zone in their nameless city—one of the habitable lands over the continent of modern America—the remains of war for powers. The city was now in possession of two separated powers that held grudges against each other; FireLily, which Arthur belonged to, and CrossRose, which naturally became his enemy as well. There were no police, no government bodies, only citizens who supported them—each side took their territories to their liking, making exception of the heart of the city and turning it to the neutral zone, where the newcomers named as 'Haven', the place where they could go in peach without suddenly being abducted by one of the underground armies.

But still, humans were greedy beings—clashes between the two powers couldn't be avoided to gain more—more powers, more territories, and more people.

To Arthur himself, Haven was more than a haven itself—it was full of heart-warming memories of his first meeting with Alfred, and the place where he could seek freedom and peace for his soul whether he was sick of any matters involving his night work. The other members came here quite often as well to work their daily jobs; the HQ was placed near the border of FireLily and Haven—disguised as a law firm although actually there weren't even any cases to be tried or even courthouse there, as criminal rate in Haven was close to zero—where Arthur usually 'went' to work. Francis ran his own boutique, and Elizabeta was the owner of a small day coffee shop and night pub just two blocks from the HQ, while Gilbert worked there as the bartender at night (a fact that Francis and Antonio always mocked him for; 'Why working for the girl you _hate_ so much?'). Antonio himself was happy running a restaurant he proudly named '_La Tomate'_.

"Arthur?"

Arthur looked up just in time as Alfred pointed at the convenient store where he usually bought his lunch. The convenient store was located near the border of CrossRose, the area Arthur rarely visited. It was run by one of Alfred's friend, a quiet and reserved Asian named Honda Kiku, whom Arthur get along really well with. Sometimes, if Kiku crashed into their apartment for getting Alfred to test his new game, Arthur and Kiku were usually engaged in a hearty talk about tea and its tradition while Alfred was cursing in the background for dying God knew how many times already.

"Ah... Yes, I'm coming!" Arthur jogged lightly, approaching his husband as he lightly took Arthur's hand in his own.

The warm air hit Arthur like a slap on his cheek when he stepped inside the store. Inside was bright and warm, defying the temperature outside, and some customers swarmed the counters and racks, taking snacks and hot instant meals. Some of them were brimming a counter full of drinks machine and coffee and hot water pots, also tea packets.

He saw Alfred already approaching Kiku, currently standing behind the shelves and talking about something that was definitely Kiku's new game or whatever that made Arthur had a hell for taking Alfred back to bed. The dark-haired man looked at him first, before gesturing to Alfred and he beckoned Arthur to come closer.

"Welcome, Arthur-san," Kiku greeted, always warm and polite like Arthur used to know him. "This is actually your first time coming to my _konbini_, right?" he offered Arthur a kind smile.

"Huh?" Arthur blinked in confusion.

"Oh, it's a short for convenient store, as Kiku said in Japanese," Alfred explained proudly, before turning to Kiku who nodded at the American's explanation.

"Please enjoy your stay here," Kiku said. "It's been a while after Alfred-san's last visit, so it's a little bit lonely here. I don't have many new customers, after all."

Alfred had already fled to browse the racks, so Arthur nodded. "Thank you, Kiku. I will," he said, before leaning closer to Kiku to whisper, "I hope you didn't give him one of your games again. Last week, he only got to bed after I dragged him to the room and threatened him I'll leave for a week if he slept on the couch again."

He only received a half-delighted chuckle from Kiku. "Ah, that... I'm afraid I just gave him the newest version of my game," he said, his tone half-guilty.

Arthur groaned. "Oh, Kiku, you definitely owe me a box of tea for the trouble," he murmured painfully, eyeing Alfred who was now walking towards them, a bag of groceries on one hand.

"You two are still here? What are you talking about?" Alfred asked, pulling Arthur closer to his side and holding him close. "You're not cheating on me, aren't cha, Artie?"

"Wh-what?" the shorter blonde's cheeks turned scarlet in embarrassment. "I am not! And stop crushing me! A-and don't call me 'Artie', you git! My name is 'Arthur'!" he snarled, before turning redder as Kiku chuckled.

"Please, Alfred-san, don't think so low of him. Arthur-san won't cheat on you," he smiled. "We're just talking about the game I just gave you, Alfred-san. Please, hold yourself back a bit. Arthur-san is complaining because he can't bring you to bed because of my game—" Kiku paused for a while, before blushing madly at how suggestive his earlier sentence was, "—uh, I mean... What do you call it in your language, I'm afraid..."

It seemed that Alfred didn't get the hint though. "Ahahah, Kiku, it's okay as far as you didn't try your hands upon my sweetheart," he emphasised by hugging Arthur closer, which came with a protest that fell on deaf ears, "So, we're off now. Bye, Kiku!"

"Goodbye, Alfred-san, Arthur-san. Have a nice day!" Kiku waved back, watching the couple disappeared behind the glass door before resuming his job, arranging the cans of food neatly on the shelf, smiling secretly.

.

It had started to snow as Alfred and Arthur exited the store. Arthur grumbled in irritation. "Bloody hell, why does it snow or rain every time I go outside?"

Alfred just gave a short laugh. "Well it _does_ snow frequently in Haven, Arthur," he offered a kind explanation and rubbed Arthur's reddening cheeks with his big hands. "Don't worry, when we get home later, I will have plenty of time to warm you up," he said with a playful grin plastered on his face.

The smaller blonde frowned, failed to hold back the blush that was starting to creep on his cheeks. "Don't play dumb with me. I'm going to spend the lovely evening with a pot of tea near the fireplace and a book on my lap, not your kind of 'warming up'."

"Aww, Artie, don't be such an old man!" Alfred complained and tugged at Arthur's jacket, putting a kicked puppy face that made Arthur wanted to roll his eyes. "We haven't done it, like, probably for a week already, and it's just a good time that you have a day off..." his blue eyes were starting to water.

Oh-oh. This was where Arthur's defence usually started to crumble hopelessly to pieces. He was too weak to resist Alfred... He resisted the urge to facepalm and instead, tugged on Alfred's free hand. "Oh, you big oaf, stop it. Let's just make it to Eliza's before noon, and then we'll talk about it."

Alfred instantly brightened and nodded, instead pulling Arthur ahead despite the older man's protests and dragged him towards Elizabeta's coffee shop.

(The fact that it was the coffee shop where he first met Alfred was to Arthur's misery, because Elizabeta kept nagging him at that issue over time, but at least, it wasn't run by the others. Francis, for example. Arthur might swallow a cup rather than meeting him every time he went there with Alfred.)

However, upon entering the shop, it wasn't Elizabeta who stood behind the counter, but it was a young girl—not more than 20, perhaps only 18—with a dark brown hair and pretty violet eyes, but... There was a scowl on her face. It kind of reminded Arthur at the prisoner he caught last night...

"Hey, are you going to stand like that or order?" she growled, her frown deepened. Arthur and Alfred both jolted at their places.

"Where is Elizabeta?" Alfred asked.

"She is out with Mister Edelstein just fifteen minutes ago," the waitress said with nonchalant tone. "If you want to wait for her, she might be back before five. Maybe," she went back playing with her iPhone.

Arthur resisted the urge to shake the girl's collar, glaring at her instead. He sent Alfred to search for a seat, placed his and Alfred's order quickly and snatched the tray, walking towards the table Alfred had already reserved for them; the table where they met for the first time a year ago.

"That girl is really something, huh..." Alfred muttered as he munched his double bacon and cheese hamburger. "I see her name tag; Bára, huh... I wonder where Elizabeta found her?"

"When Elizabeta came back later, I'll request to fire her immediately," Arthur picked a chip and dipped it in his tartar sauce, nibbled on it. "She was quite rude. Is she one of Roderich's relative, perhaps?"

Alfred shrugged. "How should I know?" he asked back, pushing the rest of the burger behind and gulped down his soda. "How do you know, anyway?"

Arthur just shrugged. "I think she had a little resemblance to Roderich... Don't you think her frown is quite similar?" he sipped his tea elegantly, quite the contrary with Alfred, then wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "Well, shall we go home? It's starting to get dark, and I don't want the snow to fall heavier when we walk home later."

Alfred nodded, leaving a few bills behind and took Arthur's hand on his own, and they exited the store and started walking home.

"Hey, do you think this is kinda nostalgic?" Alfred tilted his head upwards and looked on the falling snow. "The second time I met you, the weather had gone cold enough so it was falling snow," he said, now glancing at Arthur. "And then I kissed you."

"...stop reminding me of the embarrassing one," Arthur murmured, irritated by the reminder of him fainting from shock right after Alfred kissed him. It was only for a few seconds, but still, it _was_ embarrassing. How could you faint just after someone kissed you?

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, well... Although you fainted, it was one of the best memories I have," he said, embracing the smaller man tight. "I mean... I finally gathered enough courage to kiss you," he smiled sheepishly.

Arthur could feel his heart warmed. This was why he loved Alfred; the soothing, heartfelt fancy he always felt whether he was near or simply thinking about his partner was enough to steal his breath away. He circled an arm on Alfred's back and rested his head on Alfred's shoulder, enjoying their togetherness.

"Oh hey, look, the snow stopped," Alfred suddenly said. "Want to hang out around the park before going home, then?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, I don't think it's a good idea. It'll be so crowded now the snow had stopped," he grumbled. "Why can't just we go home already? I just want my tea like I said earlier."

"Didn't you just have one at Elizabeta's just now?" Alfred threw him a giddy smile, but complied nonetheless. "Alright, but tomorrow I want you to accompany me to Amaryllis. I need to see a friend there."

"Amaryllis?" Arthur asked. Amaryllis was the small bookstore at the side of CrossRose, located close to the East gate of Haven; again, another place Arthur rarely visited. If Arthur was in need for books, he usually went down the road and purchased them in the bookstall behind Elizabeta's shop, as Amaryllis only sold imported books that Arthur rarely took interest in. "Why there?"

"Well, because he works there?" Alfred asked back, taking Arthur's hand in his big one again. "Come on, only for a while. I think your boss won't be so mad for you showing up a little bit late, as you always came home late these past weeks?"

Arthur thought for it for a while. Well, there was no harm in checking in late tomorrow. Although he had no actual work in the law firm, he still had to dig some information from the hostage nonetheless. "Alright, but only for a while," he said. "You have to go to work tomorrow to, don't you?"

"Don't remind me of that... I still want to spend the whole day with you like this," Alfred pouted. "Hey, what do you think of having a day off once a week together so we can wander around, of even go for an overnight trip outside Haven!"

"Don't be ridiculous! We obviously can't do that," Arthur still had more to say, but the vibration of his phone in his pocket startled him. He fished out the little device and saw a small mail icon from Francis on top of the screen.

_Arthur—  
We got him. Just matter of time then.  
—Francis – Wed, Jan 24th._

It was the entire message said, but it was enough to make Arthur's blood ran cold.

_What would they do to the hostage...?_ Arthur couldn't help but wonder.

* * *

* Track 1.2; _Heartfelt Fancy_, 11th Shrine Maiden Project's Stage 4 theme. [youtube] /watch?v=5Bda8sKdoIk . This song is heavily accented with western tune, but there's a little hint of something that resembles heart-warming if you listen closely.

* It's all stated above, but if you didn't understand, let me explain in detail here. **This story is a modern AU**, where most cities have been destroyed and are inhabitable [from war, maybe, but you can think of other causes, that's fine. And it's America, btw. My imaginary America because I've never been there]. Cities are rebuilt by the ones who have power and money [most likely organisations], and the city here is one of them. The area here is the most fertile and promising, so it's been contested by the two biggest powers in the city, FireLily and CrossRose (oh, and the city's not too big, btw). If you know the Tekken verse, just imagine it... like Mishima Zaibatsu vs. G Corp.

* Meanwhile, **Haven** is the small neutral zone left in the centre of the city, with two gates that lead directly to the outskirts of the city, East and West gate. The easiest I could get the city structure to vision is to **see a Pokeball.** The small circle in the middle is Haven, the red part is CrossRose's side, the white part is FireLily's side, and the line separating them is the roads that lead to the city outskirts.  
...I'm creative, aren't I? :D

* Elizabeta's shop is a **coffee shop** where Arthur and Alfred met for the first time from **morning until afternoon**, while the **pub** is from **evening until dawn**. They're practically the same shop.

* Almost forgot! The OC **Bará/Barbora** belongs to **retrotale** at tumblr, or known as **Crystalicia** at deviantART, used with permission and the name was from her, too. Visit her if you do have time!

* I've created a **writing blog** on tumblr to post my stories there. After this update, it's most likely I'm going to continue updating over the tumblr I've been giving you guys (**flowing-rein**), so keep an eye as I'll announce when the writing blog's ready to be published! :D


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